A-Data, another major supplier of flash-based memory products, has signed a license agreement with SanDisk, which sued various makers of flash-powered devices last year. Nevertheless, many Taiwan-based companies are unwilling to admit infringements of SanDisk’s patents.

In addition to A-Data, Afa Technologies also recently signed a settlement agreement with SanDisk over patent infringement, reports DigiTimes web-site. PNY licensed SanDisk’s technologies early in 2008.

SanDisk claims the companies, which manufacture, sell and import USB flash drives, CompactFlash cards, multimedia cards, MP3/media players and/or other removable flash storage products, infringe its patents and therefore SanDisk is seeking damages and a permanent injunction in the federal court actions, as well as a permanent exclusion order from the ITC banning importation of the products into the United States.

The list of companies accused of infringing various SanDisk system-level patents include such companies as ACP-EP Memory, A-Data, Apacer, Behavior Computer (d/b/a Emprex), Buffalo, Chipsbank, Corsair Memory, Dane-Elec, Edge, Imation/Memorex, Interactive Media (d/b/aKanguru), Kaser, Kingston, LG Electronics, Phison Electronics, PNY, PQI, Silicon Motion, Skymedi, Transcend, TSR (d/b/a T.One), USBest, Verbatim, Welldone Company and Zotek/Zodata (d/b/a Huke).

Other Taiwan companies accused by SanDisk for using its patented technologies included Transcend Information, Power Quotient International (PQI), Phison Electronics, Silicon Motion Technology and Skymedi. Most makers listed in the patent infringement suit are likely to re-design their products to avoid using related patents, according to market watchers in Taiwan cited by DigiTimes.

Tags: A-Data, SanDisk, PNY, Flash